A nanocomposite consisting of MnO2 nanoflowers and the conducting polymer PEDOT for highly sensitive amperometric detection of paracetamol

An electrochemical sensor for paracetamol is described that consists of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) that was modified with the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with MnO2 nanoflowers. The hydrothermally synthesized MnO2 nanoflowers possess a large surface area and can be doped into PEDOT through electrochemical deposition to form a conducting polymer nanocomposite. The nanoflowers are shown to be uniformly distributed within the nanocomposite as revealed by elemental mapping analysis. The nanocomposite displays excellent catalytic activity toward the electrochemical oxidation of paracetamol. The modified GCE, best operated at a working potential of around 0.37 V (vs. SCE) has a linear response in 0.06 to 435 mu M paracetamol concentration range and a very low limit of detection (31nM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The sensor exhibits excellent reproducibility and stability, and satisfying accuracy for paracetamol detection in pharmaceutical samples.